Who is Simon? (21 Nov 2002) The Mirari heroes, reunited, struggle with the matter of Simon Lefallon's true identity ... and the nature of reality in Mirari.

The Black Boat
A mid-sized boat of dense black wood, about the size of a yacht but with a long, flat deck dominated in the middle by the statue of a unicorn made from some dark grey stone. A door in the deckhouse leads into quarters large enough for four, or six if they squeeze in and share the bunks, when the nights on deck turn so cold that icicles hang from the rails.

Lord Melchizedek, Protector of the Realm, bows his head again in acknowledgement of the welcome he has received from all assembled. He gives a gentle nuzzle to the top of Angel's head as she hugs his leg. "Thou hast naught to apologize for," he reassures her. To everyone, he says, "After the King's disappearance, for a time I thought myself alone and friendless in Mirari. I have never been gladder to be proven so wrong. But the land is still in great peril, and much remains to be done. The time to celebrate will be when the Destroyer is driven from Mirari. and the rightful Heir," he gives a nod to Lord April, "ascends to his throne.

"As you know or guess," the unicorn continues, " I have not been entirely helpless during my imprisonment. I have cast my spirit forth where and when I could, to aid, or to ask for aid. I have gained a little knowledge. But there is much I do not know, and I daresay we may all say that. Let us to business, then, and exchange what information we have. Then we must plan our next course of action."

After a bit of giggling wholly at odds with the unicorn's grim speech the little princess mostly relinquishes her guardian and stands beside him while she listens with bitten lip about what he thinks they should do. When he finishes she casts a concerned glance his way, asking, "Are you sure you're okay, your lordship? Do you want some soup? Maybe some tea?"

Redmane tries not to imagine Lord Mel at a tea party, and instead asks him, "Where you able to find out if the Destroyer has an alter-ego in the mortal world?"

Hannah casts an inquisitive glance towards the lady knight at her question, but stays silent, waiting for Melchizedek's answer.

"I am recovered, my princess. Let me assure thee that I have had ample rest, and am in no need of further." Lord Melchizedek sounds faintly amused. He shakes his head at Redmane. "Not in this time, no. The Year's End may have been hiding in Ainigton at some point, during his long absence. But now that he is working among us, I am confident he has no doppelganger in Ainigton. But let us retrieve the Lord Explorer before we go too far in asking and answering. I am sure he will want to know all, and it will save time later."

At his response Angel beams a smile to the unicorn. "I would suppose being stonified is very restful," she says, sharing in his amusement. Then she turns away from him to tilt her head at Lady Redmane. Her question seeming to elicit a thoughtful and concerned gaze from the princess. She does not however comment on it yet. Instead she offers, "Shall we be off to our council then if no one be in need of a healer?"

While Rachel fetches Thomas from the boat's house, Sir Lefallon and Sir Tristan excuse themselves to reinforce Sir Theodore, and his troops as they patrol for stragglers of the Destroyer's army. Sir Tristan seems awkward and embarrassed in the presence of his lord, though the two have had no time to talk -- or perhaps because of that fact. Sir Lefallon may have been trying to escape the exceedingly friendly djinn, but if so, his plan backfires. She insists on coming with him. "You promised to show me Elysia?" "But ... now?" "I may never get another chance!"

Rachel and the Lord Explorer returns to a deck holding Lord April, Lord Melchizedek, Lady Hannah, Knight Redmane, Princess Angel, and Lord Ahearn. The boat has no table, but a few benches have been pushed into a rough circle for the benefit of those with two-legged shapes. Before they can begin, one of Theodore's knights approaches the ship. "My lords, ladies," he says to the assembled in courtesy, before turning to the raven-haired girl. "Hawk Rachel?" At her nod, he continues, "We are given to understand that you are a translator. We have a few prisoners from the Destroyer's army we wish to interrogate, but if they speak a proper tongue, they will not show it. They only grunt and mutter to each other in their foul dialect. Might you be able to help, my lady?"

Sitting down near Ahearn, Redmane says to Rachel, "It would be useful to know if this group was the whole of the Destroyer's army or merely a part of it."

Rachel gives a nod to Redmane, and answers the man, her voice soft, "I will be glad to come, and help if I can." She moves to the boat's gangplank to disembark.

"Ah, a circle. Much what I had in mind to do. If no one takes offense, may I recommend a direction for this discussion?" Thomas inquires, then glances toward Rachel. He pats her shoulder lightly as she goes and says, "Be careful."

Hannah takes a seat near the Lord Explorer, seeming glad to rest herself after another battle against trolls that would have liked to knock her off her horse. She smiles briefly at him. "No rest for the weary, eh, milord?" she asks in a low voice.

General nods of assent greet Tom's request.

Alice has found a spot at the circle beside Lord Melchizedek (whom she has asked twice again if he is feeling well) and an empty space she has mentioned wanting her uncle to sit at. After all, as she said "I've only met uncle-copies!". When Lord Thomas poses his question and it thus seems the meeting is about to begin Angel looks up from the purse she had been rummaging through and gives the explorer a little nod of agreement. The motion making the hood of her draw up traveling cloak flop over her eyes a little. She pushes it back.

Thomas laughs at the comment and replies, "Weary? Why, things are just starting to get interesting, eh?" Heshrugs lightly and then steps into the circle of benches. After taking a breath, he says, "Much to my dismay, my common experience at a gathering of lords is that often House politics enter into it. I want to avoid that here. Once we step into this circle, all Houses fall away -- all feelings to one house over another must be set aside. We are people of Mirari, and we discuss Mirari. I feel we should start by asking questions and placing on the table as it were, what we know. From there, each of us will be allowed to make their suggestions as to a course of action, uninterrupted by any other at the table. Once each has spoken his or her peace, we then weigh the merits of everyone's ideas to decide our course of action."

"That sounds fine to me," Redmane says to the proposal, crossing her arms across her chest.

Lord Melchizedek and the lord of horses exchange glances at Tom's remark. The Lord Protector replies, "As all who know me are aware, I share the feelings of the Lord Explorer when it comes to the divisiveness of the Houses. I will be more than pleased if everyone will set such feelings aside and listen to each other with an open mind. This is no council of Lords and Ladies. We should not have need for power struggles." At his last sentence, the unicorn looks pointedly at Lord April.

Hannah nods her agreement to Tom's statements, as well. Although under her breath she says, to no one in particular, "And if we can keep to the issues and leave House politics out of this, then we will be doing much better than Mirari's own Council."

Lord April does not respond to the look. He simply says, "I concur."

Ahearn snorts, and nods.

Tom nods to the Lord Protector, then moves back to the seat near Hannah. He settles down and looks among those gathered. "Does anyone here wish to begin? Or rather. does anyone have anything to share before we start posing questions?" he asks.

"I do! I do," responds the princess.

Thomas motions with his hand toward the center of those gathered. "Then please do, Milady," he says.

Heads turn to regard Angel.

The princess gathers up her cloak and stands. She makes her way to the center of the circle and casts a glance at all the faces as she wraps her arms around herself to keep warm. Everyone gets a smile -- and then she frowns and turns to gaze off where the rest of the party had departed the black ship. "Has anyone seen Simon?" Before giving anyone a chance to answer she elaborates, saying, "I mean the real Simon. Um, you see m'lords, m'ladies, when last I and the Lady Hannah saw Simon he was page to the false Lord April. Verily he did believe the lie, and think my mother false. Before we could convince him he vanished in a puff of smoke. And the words Lord Eoin spoke to me make me think it's terribly important we find him."

"Will you tell the council the words Lord Eoin spoke to you, Milady?" Thomas asks calmly.

Lord April looks puzzled by the princess's words. "Whom, may I ask, is Simon? Apart from a servant to my deposer?"

"She refers to the current Sir Lefallon, Milord April," Redmane explains.

While Alice answers Tom's question, Lord Melchizedek leans over to quietly brief Lord April on Simon, and his subsequent displacement in Ainigton by Sir Lefallon.

Angel answers the questions calmly, though she continues to stare off worriedly in the direction the others departed to. "Lord Eoin said to me that he intended to change the rules. I believe he meant the Rules of Mirari." She pauses to gather her thoughts and continues after a moment. "Page Simon is not Sir Lefallon. There are two Simons, I think, and the Simon of Ainigton left us when he did fall into the Siege of Stone and Water when we did first find it in Ainigton. I know the false Lord April's page to be our Simon. And as he is our Simon so can he change the rules. And I think Lord Eoin knows that, too."

Lord Melchizedek flattens his ears to his head. "This is terrible news. Without the Rules, Mirari is nothing," he asserts flatly.

"Are you certain? I was the one who pulled Simon from the water back in Ainigton. I remember no portals opening that took him through. But yes, he would have the power to change the rules, much as you, I, and Redmane does," Thomas says. "But to answer your question, I have not seen him."

"Did he not swear he would destroy all that "you" have built, that he would rule only to destroy all that has been made?" says the princess to the unicorn. Finally she looks back to the circle and shakes her head at Thomas. "I spoke with Simon at the palace and did watch when Lord Eoin brought him before my mother the Queen. When asked of his skills he nearly spoke of "tricks on skateboards". And when I spoke with him later he seemed very much to me our Simon. Very confused, but our Simon. I'm afraid Lord Eoin will lie to him more. That he will use him to hurt Mirari. And though it was you who seemed to pull Simon out it was really Lord Eoin who pulled Simon through the Siege."

"Yes," Melchizedek answers. "But that makes it no less disturbing to learn of yet another tool in his arsenal, with which he might wreak devastation. Where did you see this Simon last?"

"The Palace of All Seasons your lordship," answers Angel.

Redmane realizes something, and asks Alice, "Do you remember the odd rippling we felt back in House October, Angel? Were you able to find out if anything of note happened at the same time, in case it has something to do with Simon's abilities here?"

"Curious," Thomas replies, then runs his thumb along his chin thoughtfully. "You haven't seen him since, correct? This ... worries me. May I pose a possibility of what happened to him since that day?"

The little girl shakes her head. "No, Lady Redmane. I have heard nothing about that and haven't seen another. And I'm sorry but I didn't ask about it." She gives the older girl an apologetic smile. "I was terribly busy."

To the Lord Explorer the princess inclines her head. "Shall I be seated then?"

"It's very windy on this boat," adds the princess. "Brr."

Lord April and Ahearn remain silent, listening to the others. Lord Melchizedek looks on the point of adding something, but he holds his peace, waiting for Tom to speak.

"If you have nothing else to share at this time, then certainly, Milady," Thomas says. "I just have a grim thought I want to pose to the others here to consider. It makes things more urgent."

"Um," wonders the princess out loud. She thinks for a moment, then adds, "Lord Eoin left the palace but Lady Nymuae says he went to another place in Mirari. I think maybe Simon is where Lord Eoin is. Mm. That's all." She departs the circle and reseats herself where she huddles more under her cloak.

Thomas stands, then walks to the center of the ring. He cups his hands together behind his back and looks at those gathered. "This is speculation, based on way Lady Angel has said. Make of it what you will. Angel stated she confronted him, and that Simon said that she lied. But, consider if part of him believed what she said. He may have gone to ask the False Lord April this ... confront him with this. Lord Eoin may have then taken Simon away, where he could learn how -- or force Simon, to change things. It would explain why he has not been seen since."

Angel raises her hand -- then lowers it a bit when a chill wind comes by. "May I say something about that m'lord?"

"Please do," Thomas replies.

"I don't think Lord Eoin needs to ... to, to make Simon believe him if Simon hasn't learned the truth already. I think maybe Simon is afraid of losing what Lord Eoin as Lord April gave him. Simon," she frowns, looking down at her feet which she wiggles, "doesn't have a very nice family in Ainigton. He gets picked on a lot. He asked me what Lord October gave me -- he said he gave me the Queen -- and that makes me think Lord Eoin gave him something too, maybe. Something he doesn't want to let go of. Here in Mirari Simon has a better life. I think he's afraid to believe it was a lie."

"But in his heart, he may realize the deception behind it. And as for what he gave him -- I believe I know what that was," Thomas replies.

"I have faith Simon has a good heart," offers Angel. "That's all I have to say m'lord."

"He might have been given some sort of magical power then," Redmane suggests, "to make him feel less helpless. You mentioned talking to Nymuae at the Court as well -- did she have any new information about this?"

After Alice finishes speaking, Lord Melchizedek says, "Of the many problems I knew we faced, this is one I had not foreseen. Whether Simon is a willing dupe or an unwitting tool, it is our duty to rescue him. For his sake and our own. The only question is: how much do we need to allocate to finding him? How much dare we dedicate to his rescue, given everything else we face?"

"If I am remembering correctly, he told Simon that he was to be his heir. It would be tempting, indeed, to become someone important in this world, when the mortal world holds no happiness for you," Thomas states.

"Lady Sorceress Nymuae spoke little of Simon. As we all were, she was very busy trying to unmask Lord Eoin. And she had suffered many wounds when she was in Winters' lands," answers Angel.

"Winters' lands?" Redmane asks. "Could you elaborate on what Nymuae has been up to?"

"Lady Nymuae?" Lord April interjects. "She is injured?"

Thomas' expression hardens at the mention of her name, but he says nothing.

"She was, yes," Hannah answers the blonde lord. "But the Princess did much to ease her wounds. She is on her way to recovery."

"Lady Nymuae was helping Winter defend against the ice goblins at the time when I summoned her to the palace. We had great need of her when we discovered Lord Eoin's disguise. I hope it was a good choice for Winters' sake," the princess answers. "She is now acting in place of the court Thau- ... Thaumaturgist at my request."

"It seems none of us legends are as infallible or indestructible as we ought to be," the unicorn remarks, his words quiet and dry.

"True. If I hadn't failed years ago, we wouldn't be here now," Thomas adds to that and looks into the distance.

At that comment Angel glances at her unicorn protector and reaches over to give him a hug. "You've always helped me."

Lord April coughs. "I have no difficulty seeing why the court needs a new thaumaturgist. Was the court thaumaturgist a pawn of the Destroyer, or merely incompetent?" he asks Angel.

"Um. I think Lord Eoin tricked her. He talked her out of doing all her identity tests," answers the little blonde girl.

"Mother was very mad at her," the girl adds.

Yes. All right, Ahearn says, stomping a hoof against the ground deck to attract the attention of the others. We have all done very badly separately against the Destroyer. This is why we are all going to work together now. Let us keep to the matter at hand. We need to find this Simon, yes. What else must be done?

"Lord April, please hold judgement of others. You were captured by him -- would you judge yourself incompetent? And he ... he is the greatest of all at deception," Thomas says. "This brings me to a question, Milady. Does the Court now know that Eoin was impersonating Lord April?"

Lord April stiffens at Thomas's remark, but makes no answer to it.

Hannah smiles wryly to herself and looks down at the deck of the boat, awaiting that answer from Angel.

"Yes." The princess sits up a little more and looks rather proud. "With Lady Nymuae's and Lady Hannah's help we were able to take a picture of Lord Eoin with the Optikon and reveal him before the lords and ladies present at the palace. A council was gathered to decide what to do. The other house lords and ladies are being told what has happened and the Golden Hawks have been summoned to the service of the crown. The armies are gathering, too. I came here to get Sir Theodore so he could be Mirari's general. That was my mission from her Majesty." She blinks and then digs in to her purse and pulls out a picture of a black haired cruel eyed man in Lord April's clothes which she holds up so people can see. "He was very mad about the picture. I wanted to give him the raspberries, but it wouldn't have been proper."

Thomas walks over to Angel and looks closely at the picture.

Lord Melchizedek says, "I am gratified to learn that not all the news is bad. If the Queen has already exposed the false heir, that is one less thing we need worry on. The King, I assume, remains missing?"

"To an extent. Redmane and I know who the King pretends to be in the mortal world," Thomas replies.

"I do too, I think," adds Angel.

"I had gleaned as much from Sir Tristan's reaction to me. Niece, I owe you a debt, and you, too, daughter of November," April says, looking at Hannah. He exhales at the latest remarks from Thomas and Angel. "That, too, is a great relief."

"I have a way to contact the King in an emergency," Redmane says, then turns towards Tom. "If Eoin needs Simon for his ability to change the rules, then I think we can take that as proof that the Destroyer is who you suspect him to be. I doubt one of us alone would be enough to make changes, so if Eoin himself has the ability he would need another person to reinforce his will and make the changes real. Could you fill us all in on what you know about the origin of the Destroyer, and what this picture might reveal about him?"

"Indeed," Melchizedek adds. "We must retrieve the king as soon as possible. With the start of a new Year, the threat from the Destroyer will be greatly lessened. And Mirari desperately needs the Spring. The succession must take place, quickly."

"Lord Protector, I think it is time to end the cycle of the seasons and the rule of a Year. We change to a new King, all we do is repeat the cycle. We must break the cycle. Now, what do I mean by that? The answer will answer Redmane's question as well, if I may continue?" Thomas says firmly.

The unicorn tilts his head, looking skeptical, but he doesn't interrupt. Lord April appears puzzled, but curious.

"The story of Mirari -- it's confusing, but bear with me. It begins some fifty years ago in the Mortal world, and some fifty years ago here. Lord Eoin, in part, was from the mortal world. His name, Eoin, is a play on his original name, John. Part, if not all of Lord Eoin was likely a man named John Harcourt. He hated the world of Mirari, a place his sister, Anastasia, and her friends, Lady Cherise of February, and Lord Bram , found. He wanted to control it, but wasn't allowed. The first King of Mirari, Riordan, is better know in the mortal world as Ryan Jordan. Yes, it may be hard to believe, but we are very tied to the mortal world," Thomas begins, pausing for reactions or questions.

Redmane leans forward slightly while listening.

The black unicorn stands still, listening. His fiery mane ripples in the cold breeze. Lord April, now, looks skeptical. "You are saying that the founders of Mirari came from Ainington? But the mortal realm has no magic in it. How can that be?"

Angel purses her lips and seems to consider this. After a moment she smiles, and then nods a little. "I thought so," she says, agree with the Explorer's assessment. "I wasn't sure, but I thought there was a connection. Lady Nymuae's pictures. Lady Angelique and Anastasia. And um, well, you can kind of feel it. Mirari is the land of dreams, and Ainigton the land of dreamers."

Hannah listens intently to Thomas' words, but instead of appearing shocked at the notion of Mirari being tied to the mortal world, she merely looks resigned.

Ahearn surveys the other faces of the listeners. When he comes to Hannah, he only nods, his expression that of a kindred spirit.

"Lady Angel answers that question for you, Lord April. Mirari and the mortal world exist in tandem. One helps form the other. One influences the other. When I fell fourteen years ago, a new life was born into the mortal world. I continued on, sent to live as a mortal. While I am now back, I carry some of the power of the mortal world with me. As does Redmane and Lady Angel. Being now part of both, we can reshape aspects of this world. Most notably, the rules," Thomas adds.

"I don't think it's bad," offers Angel in support of Lord Thomas. "People need dreams. And dreams need someone to dream them. They're both terribly important, to be sure."

April looks around, too, but his amazement only grows as everyone else seems to accept what Tom is saying. "What? Do you all accept this? Mirari is not a dream, let me assure you!" He stands. "I did not imagine spending Months in the cell of the Destroyer! Nor did anyone else imagine it for me!"

"Lord April, I said it is shaped by, not wholly controlled by. Mirari has it's own path it follows as well. We are not simply slaves to the mortal world," Thomas says calmly and holds up a hand placatingly.

"It's best not to dwell over long on the mechanics of it, Lord April," Redmane suggests. "And this ability has its limitations. We could not simply march over the next hill believing that Spring has arrived and hope to actually see it be so -- because we've already been over the hill and know that it is Winter."

The princess turns to watch her uncle stand and listens as he resist the idea. Half way through she stands up too, and she takes a few steps over to stand beside her uncle. She offers him a hug. "Of course you're real, uncle! I was born in Mirari too. I'm real. The dream is alive."

Lord Melchizedek speaks at last. "Be seated, Lord April," he says, not unkindly. "Mirari is real. But it is also ... malleable. All too malleable. That is why we have the Rules. They are what make the realm stable. Insofar as it is stable, which," he peels his lips back from his teeth in a grimace, "I gather may be less so than I might have hoped."

"The ripple," Redmane says in a low voice in reply to the unicorn's statement.

"I wish it were not so. But I have also tested the malleability of this world and have been abler to enact -- changes," Thomas says quietly.

"Changes, Thomas, or additions?" Redmane asks. "I'm not so sure that things can be undone once they've already happened."

"Additions," Thomas replies.

"What of this 'ripple'?" April asks. He sits again, folding his arms together.

The blonde lord notices Alice standing near him still, the little girl looking worried, and her arms still half spread. He unclasps his arms, and leans forward to give her a hug, then draws her into his lap, stroking her hair comfortingly. Whether this is for her comfort, or his, is a question best left unasked.

Explaining quickly, so as not to interrupt Thomas' history lesson too long, Redmane says, "Before Alice and I became... who we are now, in this world, we experienced a moment when everything seemed to become... well... flat. Like a picture. When it had passed, nobody else had noticed, save for a single tree-man who felt as if he'd lost someone. I think now that that was the effect of a Change made by Thomas and Sir Lefallon, or else by someone else."

"When did the ripple occur?" Thomas inquires of Redmane. "What date?"

"I believe it was the day before the last True Dawn," Redmane says, looking to Alice for confirmation.

Angel, being quite used to getting scooped up, looks quite content with having been relocated. Indeed she looks even happier than she had been a minute ago and considerably warmer. She folds her hands atop the Lord's and settles in comfortably. From the lap she answers, "Yes, the evening before the True Dawn."

"The last True Down was the morning after Lefallon and I liberated the Golden Woods from the bandit queen. The evening prior, was -- was my first test of the malleability of this world; when we found the 'Grail' at Hawksmoor," Thomas says. "It could have been that which triggered it, or perhaps not. Nothing we did should have caused the tree man to lose someone."

"What did you do to find the Grail, Lord Explorer?" Melchizedek asks. "Have you the Grail with you still?"

"I simply remembered something I did in the mortal world, then decided that the event truly happened here and the Grail would be were we decided we left it. And no, we do not have it any longer," Thomas replies.

"What about Caer Sidi, Thomas?" Redmane prompts. "You'd mentioned that you thought it may also have been the result of a change, but I don't remember feeling anything like the first ripple when that must have taken place -- and I was still just Agatha."

Ahearn snorts. Caer Sidi, you said, was an addition. Was something about the Grail a ... contradiction?

"It was. That was another place we decided would be there. None of us had ever been to such a place before -- but, before we continued our journey one night, we did another test and laid out the concept of the city, what it was and where it was. A couple days later, we found the place we decided, and it had much of the elements we decided it would have," Thomas says, then looks at Ahearn and nods. "A good thought. Because, the Grail involved Sir Lefallon, whom had not been alive when I was here before. Yet -- he remembered it."

"If this is the case, then at least we may know if Eoin and Simon make a change to something that already exists," Redmane suggests.

"A contradiction?" Angel asks curiously. "Is that like a ... pairofsocks? My brother Gabriel told me once when I asked him about his time-travel book that when you do something in the past that makes the future wrong it messes up the future. I thought it was kind of silly, but it's not very silly like this. I think that means we should be careful what we dream."

"Or may be that's what the Destroyer intends. Create an incredible contradiction and shatter this world. Wasn't it once said he would never rule Mirari?" Thomas asks.

Redmane nods. "A paradox. The legends of Year's End do imply the end of the world should he take the throne."

Angel nods to Lord Thomas's inquiry. "That's not true. It's said if he ever ruled Mirari it would be very bad. He told Lady Angelique he would try and get the throne so that he could destroy Mirari."

Lord April's brow furrows, his eyes on the deck planks. "Page Lefallon was alive during your time, Lord Explorer. He had an enchantment laid upon him, and slept for many Years before he was awakened ... in this era. How -- how much like your Simon is my Sir Lefallon?" he asks, suddenly.

"It doesn't say he cannot rule Mirari just that he shouldn't," adds Angel.

"Ah, but in the events surrounding it, he was a knight, Lord April. Not a page," Thomas replies.

Melchizedek nods. "The princess has the right of it. Lord Eoin swore to rule Mirari, and in ruling it, destroy it. Thus, he cannot be allowed to ascend to the throne."

"When he was awakened from the enchantment, he had few memories of his former life," April says, rubbing his forehead. "I made him a page. I had no idea he had been a knight."

"Who enchanted him? What awoke him?" Thomas asks. "And as for how much he's like the real Simon -- considerably."

Redmane looks to Ahearn, and whispers to him in horse-tongue.

"I hadn't spoken much with Sir Lefallon. But from what I did see they are very similar except that Sir Lefallon doesn't know anything about Ainigton," offers the little blonde girl.

"One of the Lord Protector's people, a unicorn, found him," April says. "She awakened him, and brought him to us. He was confused. She said he had been under the enchantment for over ten Years, but she did not know what had befallen him. He looks ... considerably like your Simon? An exact copy?"

"Yes," Thomas replies.

Hannah looks to Melchizedek and speaks to him alone in a low voice. "So if Eoin has Simon with him, and he does intend to create such a contradiction as to destroy all of Mirari, then we may need to dare much to find Simon - to answer your question of some time ago, Lord Protector," Hannah says grimly.

Lord Mel nods to Hannah. April strokes Alice's hair, looking troubled. "A curious coincidence ... unless it's not a coincidence."

After listening to Ahearn's whispered reply, Redmane purses her lips before noting, "There are two different Simons then. But only one Thomas, one Nymuae, one Angel and one Redmane. So far as we know. It doesn't fit the pattern."

Angel looks up at her uncle through the stray strands of her golden hair. She frowns at the concerned expression on his face and turns away to dig through her purse again. This time she removes another picture and offers it to him in an apparent attempt to cheer him up.

"Could that be the point, Redmane? It's intentionally out of place?" Thomas asks.

"Consider; we all were forced from this world and reborn in the mortal one. What if Simon was partially forcedout -- enchanted as it were, and split. so that a mortal world version was born, but the Mirari version existed somewhat. It would explain the memory loss. And -- what sort of instability would that induce in this world?" Thomas says, wondering.

After offering the picture Angel glances between Thomas and Agatha and says, "Lord Eoin said Simon was an orphan. Maybe because Simon is out of place in Ainigton he's out of place here too? Didn't Simon come to school just this year? All the rest of us had lived in Ainigton a long time."

"Or else the Simon of Ainigton is a fabrication -- an agent of the Destroyer all along," Redmane points out. "The Wizard Pelles had Simon's room in Ainigton under surveillance."

Lord April says, half to himself, "What if the Destroyer arranged to have Sir Lefallon awakened at that time, so he could use him as a doppelganger for Simon? But no. That's ridiculous." He shakes his head, and glances at the picture. The images coaxes a smile to his lips.

Tom says, "At this point, Lord April, much is possible. We should not dismiss things casually," Thomas says."

"The Optikon revealed both aspects of Simon," Redmane says. "It showed both Sir Lefallon, and a... creature."

"Simon only recently came to Ainigton," Lord Melchizedek says. "Had he ever played at being Sir Lefallon, prior to the switch?"

Tom shakes his head, "No."

April turns to Redmane. "What sort of creature?"

"Then, perhaps there never was a true Sir Lefallon, and that our belief in him as someone good, made him so. We undid what he was created for," Thomas suggests.

Thomas then adds, "We contradicted his purpose."

"That makes the most sense, Thomas," Redmane says, nodding. "By making him play out Sir Lefallon's quest for the Holy Grail, we caused there to be a Sir Lefallon here to fit the pattern."

"Maybe Simon is really different inside? Like he has different dreams? So different that he's two. Like Rebecca and Lady Nymuae," suggests the princess. She glances up and smiles looking pleased at her uncle's reaction.

"I believe it was a kobold," Redmane replies to Lord April. "It had long, cat-like ears."

The blonde lord opens his mouth, then closes it again. He puts his hands to the side of his forehead. "A changeling," he says, quietly.

"Then the ripple could have been the moment Sir Lefallon confessed to me, and swore his alliance to myself and Mirari. Which he has done so, three times, I might add. He could not have done so were it not true, unless Changelings are not bound by such rules?" Thomas inquires.

"I thought maybe he was a creature of House April. But I noticed too that when we all played at going to Icejaw scary-cave that Simon said his shield had a rabbit on it. And the rabbit is the house animal of January, and January is Lord Eoin's house. He used to be Lord January," says Angel.

"The quest that he went through in Ainigton occurred after the incident in the Siege of Stone and Water though," Redmane points out. "If the real Simon Lefallon is here with Eoin, then he could have been replaced by the changeling before we'd ever explored the Siege."

"Sir Lefallon is not a changeling." April says. He sets Alice to one side, and stands, pacing. "No. It doesn't make any sense. He's held the same shape for Months before we found him. Almost since before Angel was born. How could he have known to look like your Simon? Why would he want to? It doesn't make any sense. I have other changelings in my service -- he passed a thaumaturge's examination. He cannot be a changeling."

"But the Optikon cannot lie," Melchizedek says, quiet but emphatic.

"So maybe Sir Lefallon the changeling is his own Mirari self now? Because he had his own adventure in Ainigton and isn't connected to Simon anymore? And Simon is his own Simon?" Finding herself suddenly back on the deck Alice draws her cloak around herself again and watches Lord April pace.

"The Simon you met at Court knew who you were, Angel?" Redmane asks the princess.

"Perhaps that was even the enchantment -- more so than just a mere sleeping spell," Thomas suggests. "Sir Lefallon was changed, and we changed him back."

"He did after I stopped trying to hide from him. I wasn't sure why he was with Lord Eoin so I didn't show him at first, and he didn't notice in the Queen's audience chamber. But he did later in the palace infirmary," answers the princess.

"Did he tell you what he last remembered before being brought to Mirari, by any chance?" Redmane asks.

The princess nods a little, answering, "He said he remembered falling in to the pool. He also said earlier he could do tricks on skateboards. But he stopped before he really said that. Like he wasn't supposed to say it. That's when I though he was the real Simon."

"That still doesn't make sense. I pulled Simon from the pool. I saw nothing. No portals, nothing," Thomas says firmly.

Angel bites her lip. She looks between Agatha and Thomas, frowns, then offers, "Maybe Simon meant another pool? He sounded like he knew "Lord April" sent a changeling to pretend to be him too. So no one would get worried he said. He also said he had been in Mirari for weeks. So that would have been a few Ainigton days wouldn't it?"

April halts. "Look. Stop. Listen to me," he says to all of them, urgent and agitated.

Thomas turns his attention to Lord April.

"Don't speculate. Think about it. Doesn't this all strike you as a little too convenient? A little too implausible? Sir Lefallon adventures with the Lord Explorer, is placed under an enchantment, sleeps for thirteen Years, only to turn up again a few months before my own abduction? And then the Destroyer just happens to notice that one of my pages just happens to look just like one of your friends? And exchanges them? Listen to me! If I was going to send a servant to the mortal realm to replace someone, I'd use a changeling, not a chance duplicate. Why be confined to kidnapping the one person who happens to look like a duplicate of someone you have? Why all the coincidences needed to make it all fit?"

"This treeman. The one you said had lost someone," April says, pointing to Redmane. "Was there anything else about him? Whose House was he from?"

The focused and more than slightly confused expression on Angel's face melts away when the lord demands their attention. She blinks and looks up at her uncle, her attention on him. As the man explains how he sees things the confused expression returns to the girl's face.

Redmane thinks back. "His name was... um... Tear? Teirtu!" she says. "And we found him eavesdropping on our conversation with Lord October and Lady Yseult."

"Oh!" says Alice suddenly, "do, do you think there never was a Simon? That Lord Eoin just sent a changeling from the beginning? That Simon resembles Sir Lefallon not because Sir ... no, wait ..." She wrinkles her nose and looks even more confused for it.

"That the original Simon was a changeling sent to our world, after he knew about a Sir Lefallon here? Is that what you're suggesting, Lady Angel?" Thomas asks.

"I think so," offers Angel.

"Now that I think of it, he was young, maybe even Simon's age," Redmane notes, chewing on her lower lip in thought. "He had felt that he had somehow lost a very dear friend in the Ripple. If that's true, and the timing was when Thomas believes Sir Lefallon confided in him... then perhaps the tree-bow was another version of Simon."

"Then convinces the real Sir Lefallon that he's taking the place of a mortal named 'Simon'. Hm," Thomas muses.

Scarlet points highlight Lord April's cheeks. "Teirtu. Ah ... was he a tree man? Or a human-looking boy with leaves for hair?"

The little girl frowns, adding in explanation to Thomas, "But that doesn't tell us why there would be a Sir Lefallon in Mirari with such a weird past."

"The friend he would have sensed losing was Thomas himself then," Redmane suggests, still working it out in her head. "The boy was taken off to be questioned by October. Yes, he looked human, with leaves for hair."

"Why would he have sensed losing me? How did he lose me?" Thomas asks, looking frustrated.

The blonde lord looks faintly embarrassed. "Yes. He works for my House. I remember him now. He was good friends with ... with ... " He puts a hand to his forehead, as if his head ached. "with one of my ...."

"With who, Lord April?" Thomas asks, looking intent at the man. "You can remember."

"Because the Simon you were with -- the changeling -- had replaced him," Redmane suggests to Thomas.

"The Simon I was with also swore over the Grail, which issupposed to expose all untruths, or some such," Thomas says to Redmane.

The little girl steps forward and reaches over to take her uncle's hand in an offer of comfort. She watches him with concern, her free hand fidgeting with her bag of healing reagents.

"He was Sir Lefallon by then though, wasn't he?" Redmane asks Thomas.

Tom says, "That was when he confessed to me about being sent by whom he thought Lord April, and about the mortal Simon."

April squeezes Alice's fingers, and pats her shoulder for a moment distractedly with his other hand. Then he brings it back to his temples.

"You need to remember, Lord April. You must remember," Thomas insists.

"No," April says, sounding suddenly weary. "I don't remember anything. No name, no face. No. Teirtu had no friends. I must ... " He shakes his head.

Redmane watches April, and walks over to whisper to Thomas, "He can't recall because there's a blind spot in history, either to hide the person or because they've been edited out. Try asking him why Teirtu would be visiting October instead."

Thomas looks agitated, but nods to Redmane. "Lord April, why would Teirtu be visiting House October?" he asks.

The expression on Angel's face turns from concern to outright worry. She frowns, fumbling with and opening her herbal pouch. After a brief inventory of its contents she frowns even more and closes the bag again. A shake of her head suggest she hasn't a remedy with her that can cure blots in history.

Lord April turns to the railing, placing one hand on it and staring into the distance, looking away from the group. "I sent him there," he says, dully. "I sent him to spy on Lord October, because he looks like one of October's people. He liked that sort of thing, spying. I thought that was why he ... " He trails off again.

"He played at it with someone else?" Redmane prompts.

Thomas almost asks something, then closes him mouth to await the answer to Redmane's question.

"Um," begins Alice as she glances towards Lord Thomas. "Tommy? If that was a history-blot, and that it got forgotten because something changed, what would happen if someone remembered? I mean, someone that can't change the Rules?"

"There's no one," April says again. "No one. Nothing."

"Are there any changelings that are a part of House April then?" Redmane asks, trying a different approach.

"Yes. All the changelings belong to House April," Lord April answers.

"Do the changelings freely associate with all members of your house? Develop friendships?" Thomas asks.

Thomas glances at Angel, then shrugs, uncertain what would happen.

"Maybe a changeling that isn't there anymore? Like a empty space on a record? Or a space where one could be listed?" tries the little princess. "A job that isn't being done now that should be?"

"And someone who liked to spy would probably enjoy the company of changelings," Redmane says to the group at large. "I wonder if the changeling would even show up at all if we used the Optikon on Sir Lefallon now? I think that's who vanished."

Thomas nods and says, "My belief in him, destroyed the changeling. I removed him from existence." Thomas sighs softly and walks away from the group.

"The person is still there, Thomas, in Sir Lefallon," Redmane asserts. "But the past had to be altered to make that work, since the real Simon was supposed to become Sir Lefallon. The only way to be sure is to use the Optikon again and compare the images -- assuming that the original picture hasn't updated itself to show that the changeling never existed."

"Yes, the kobolds are free to do as they like. They tend to keep to themselves, however. They make excellent spies, yes," April says, quietly and half to himself.

"That's very scary. If Lord Eoin can change the Rules, maybe he can do that. And if he can do that then he could m, m-make some of us go poof." She makes a "poofing" gesture with her free hand. While she's still wiggling her hands in the "poofing" motion she explains, "One Optikon is at the Palace."

"Lord Protector, you would know, if anyone -- how could a fey from this world, be reborn in the mortal world?" Thomas asks.

All of a sudden, Hannah leaps up from where she had been sitting quietly and follows after Thomas, not allowing him to get too far. She puts one hand on his shoulder while she claps the other to her forehead and lets out an exasperated sigh. "Everyone, please - may we argue the finer points of the identities of these two persons later? Right at the moment, it seems to me that this is taking time away from the true tasks at hand. Can we not just be content for now with the information that Sir Lefallon is on our side while Simon is not? And that we must discuss other things before the Destroyer ruins us all?"

Redmane considers Angel's words, and says, "I think we can take on our roles here without the help of anyone else, Angel, but I'm not so sure about being able to change things by ourselves. Otherwise Eoin would have won long ago, and wouldn't need Simon at all."

"Oh, well, I meant with Simon too," corrects Angel. "I mean if he has Simon and learns how to change things he could make some of us vanish. Very scary. Poofing."

Thomas turns and looks wearily to Hannah and says, "It's not that simple Hannah. Look, I know how horrid this must appear to you -- that some of us can shift and mold reality. It's a truth that burns, and once I wish I had not uncovered. But, it is the truth. And here is a situation, regarding one person, that can shed light on how, and to what extent we can alter things. Knowing that, we can forever free Mirari from the threat of the Destroyer." He sighs and shakes his head, then walks back to the center of the circle and adds, "You of all, you understand this. As Hawks, we search out answers. This could be our answer. This, could be our solution for winning. And do you want to understand why I say this? Let me continue with something I started and discuss one Rule of Mirari that does need reshaping -- 'The rule of a Year'. It all comes back to Ryan Jordan, King Riordan ..."

Previous Log: The Return of Melchizedek	Next Log: Making Travel Plans

Thread Links
	Previous Log: The Return of Melchizedek Next Log: Making Travel Plans		Previous Log: The Return of Melchizedek Next Log: Making Travel Plans
	Previous Log: The Return of Melchizedek Next Log: Unintended Consequences		Previous Log: The Return of Melchizedek Next Log: Making Travel Plans

---

This site serves as a chronicle of sessions in an online roleplaying campaign moderated by Conrad "Lynx" Wong and May "Rowan" Wasserman. The contents of this site are (c) 2001, 2002 by Conrad Wong and May Wasserman except where stated otherwise. Despite the "children's fantasy" theme of this campaign, this site is not intended for young readership, due to mild language and violence.